Theos-Talk Archives (April 2009 Message tt00277)

The Esoteric World of Madame Blavatsky 
Collected & edited by Daniel H. Caldwell
_________________________________________________________

Revised and expanded edition.  Wheaton, Illinois: Quest Books
(Theosophical Publishing House), December, 2000. Hardcover, 451 pp. 
Includes 44 photographs & drawings, index, source references, and
further suggested reading. 
 
Here for the first time is the story of H. P. Blavatsky's life in the
words of those who knew her.  These personal reminiscences of Madame
Blavatsky by more than seventy of her contemporaries give a vivid
portrayal of one of the most extraordinary and controversial figures
of modern times. 

Many years ago when I first discovered Theosophy and H.P. Blavatsky,
I wish this book had been available.

It would have saved me a lot of time and work, but having to compile
it myself I guess had some side benefits too.  :)

When I first saw the first copy of this hardbound edition of my book,
I was quite impressed.  TPH, Wheaton did a beautiful job of
publishing the book with more than 20 photographs/portraits of Madame
Blavatsky.

I truly felt that my Theosophical work was more than complete with
the publication of this volume.  Anything else accomplished is just
the icing on the cake, so to speak. 

Professor Ashcraft in his scholarly review of my book sums up what I
was trying to do all along in putting this book together:

"...This book...[is] an extremely useful collection of primary
documents about Blavatsky. There is nothing else in the literature
about Theosophy's history quite like it. The Esoteric World of Madame
Blavatsky will undoubtedly be a standard work in Blavatskian
bibliographies for many years to come.   Not only will it provide the
sources that future researchers need for their own work on
Blavatsky....it will give the general reader a vivid sense of
Blavatsky as others knew and experienced her....Caldwell helps us to
appreciate...what this first generation of Theosophists appreciated:
the radical nature of Blavatsky's affect on those around her...."  
W. Michael Ashcraft, Theosophical History, July 2002, p. 264.

About this book:
http://books.google.com/books?id=merQlz6s8noC&dq

See a preview of this book at Google Books:
http://books.google.com/books?id=merQlz6s8noC&printsec=frontcover

See Table of Contents of chapters in this book with links to each
chapter:
http://books.google.com/booksid=merQlz6s8noC&printsec=frontcover#PPR5,M1 

See 44 photographs/portraits reproduced in this volume with links to
most of these illustrations:
http://books.google.com/booksid=merQlz6s8noC&printsec=frontcover#PPR7,M1

See more information about this book at:
http://esotericworld.net

AN ONLINE ABRIDGED VERSION courtesy of TSA/TPH, Wheaton, IL, USA:
http://www.theosophical.org/resources/books/esotericworld/index.php

Daniel
Blavatsky Archives/Blavatsky Study Center
http://blavatskyarchives.com
http://theosophy.info